|
Location
Located at Dumpu.
Construction
Prewar airfield.
Wartime History
In middle 1942 the single runway was 700 x 90 x 2200 yards, hard dry grass with good approaches. Facilities are described as native houses, no food, water. Natives speak pidgin English. Airstrip can be lengthened to 2100 yards.
The site
was surveyed for one all weather aerodrome of two parallel
airstrips for fighters, but was never completed by the US Army Engineers, only preliminary
construction was carried out. The project was canceled after a new
US Army policy
decision
on January 8, 1944 that deemed a full strip unnecessary, as the fighting had
moved on to the north and west. Despite this, several aircraft used
Dumpu as an emergency landing strip, or crashed there.
No 1 Strip
Located closest to the Dumpu, a single strip that ran roughly parallel
to the Uria River.
No 2 Strip
Parallel to the Ramu River, this single strip had a line of dispersal
areas to the north of the strip. Located near the West Base area
of Dumpu. This runway was described as surfaced with compacted earth.
P-40N
Warhawk Serial
Number 42-105861
Fuselage section recovered
in 1974 and shipped to United States
C-47 Dakota
Abandoned at the airfield
References
Notes about New Guinea airfields, recorded circa May - July, 1942 by Oliver C. Doan via Jean Doan research Edward Rogers
Engineers in Theater Operations [Pacific] "Advance Area Airdromes 31 January 1944", Map No. 24 - 6,000' x 100' compacted, gravel & clay, usable earth strip
Contribute
Information
Do you have photos or additional information to add?
Last Updated
October 1, 2009
|
